The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos The Man Who Invented Happiness Science: Marty Seligman
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May 1, 2023 Marty Seligman, a leading figure in positive psychology and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, shares insights from his groundbreaking research on happiness and resilience. He discusses the shift from focusing on misery to celebrating flourishing and explains the PERMA model of well-being. Seligman reveals the transformative power of optimism and character strengths and how they can enhance daily happiness. He also shares personal anecdotes, including his journey to becoming a more optimistic and less grouchy person.
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Positive Psychology's Origin
- Marty Seligman, initially focused on "misery and suffering", founded positive psychology.
- He realized psychology needed to explore what enables "a good life" beyond just alleviating misery.
Learned Helplessness
- Seligman's "learned helplessness" experiment involved dogs receiving shocks.
- Some dogs could stop the shocks, others couldn't, leading to learned helplessness in the latter group.
Epiphany in the Garden
- Seligman's daughter, Nikki, inspired him to change his grouchiness.
- This led him to realize psychology's focus on negativity was incomplete, prompting positive psychology.
